White Elephants and More Raptors

Mr. Crane has been very busy.

Preparations are underway for the roof of the annex.

It's easy to figure out what's happening.  All the stuff on the floor is being turned into forms and supports for the ceiling.  Obviously, the material needs to be brought in before the men close off Mr. Crane's access.

This will be fun to watch from the construction cam.

Of course, once the roof is on, watching the annex will become a thing of the past.

Mr. Red Ladder tried to get my attention today.

He felt it important that I know that he is standing near an emergency exit from the annex.  That opening is permanent.

The west side was full of action today.

The concrete pump poured a wall in the middle of the west lot.  Mr. Dashing Track Hoe was busy the entire time I was at the site moving gravel over drainage pipes.  I was curious about the two white elephants on the new porch.

By the time I got to the west side, the concrete pump was getting his act together so he could go home.

The workmen were finishing up with the new wall.

I had a fun visit with some onlookers.  I shared my ladder with several people and we speculated about the wall and the design of the underground garage.

I was impressed that the area is being kept very clean.  This is sort of a reverse vacuum.  Very noisy.

The slab looks plenty sturdy enough to hold a lot of cars.

My camera was in the mood to peek in windows.  Don't worry -- I keep a close eye on him.

First we had to make sure the stairwell column was still in place.

We could see weld marks on the grand staircase.

Lots of wires go in and out of the tabernacle.

Mr. Crane dropped in a couple zambonis.

My camera zoomed in to see if the upper level has been poured.  Visible decking, and the view from the cam, say not yet.  Maybe the zambonis are simply being removed from the annex.

We also peeked in this window on the north side, near the grand staircase.  It was the only window on this side where I could get a good look, although I'm not sure what I'm looking at.  Readers have asked me about the holes in the brick which often show up in my pictures.  Four are visible here, neatly spaced to the right and left of this window.

They are from the exterior braces which held the tabernacle together after the fire, but which have since been removed.

There are now two stairways for workmen to enter lower level 1, but neither is where the actual entrance to the temple will be.

I was quick to observe this sign with pink arrows.  I looked for something important but could only see the elephants.  I learned they are cooling units, just in time for winter.

The drainage system here moved along right in front of my eyes.  Notice the horizontal rebar at the base of the southeast tower foundation.  A slab will ultimately connect the area where the track hoe is with the tabernacle.  Notice the rebar extending up the side of the foundation, almost in the center of the picture.  This will connect to a wall which will surround the entire south lot.

The foundation underneath the northeast tower is complete.  There is no spiral column inside yet.

But the grand staircase is growing taller.

I moved my yellow ladder a few feet south to get a better view.

Then I moved it north.  If you look closely at the red ladder, you'll see that he's at the ground floor entry.

Look straight through the tower window and you'll see him again.

My camera is going to help you out.

If you've been watching the cam, you've noticed we've received a lot of rain.  This time of year, that means snow in the mountains.  You might be thinking this is a peaceful view.

It would have been, except this man was cutting up the concrete on Second South.  Please notice our beautiful mountains to the east, and the raptors.

Mr. Crane is always happy to give the pigeons a lift if they want to be as high as the raptors.